Big Corporations Now Deploying Woke Ideology the Way Intelligence Agencies Do: As a Disguise
by GLENN GREENWALD, 14 April 2021
The British spy agency GCHQ is so aggressive, extreme and unconstrained by law or ethics that the NSA — not exactly world renowned for its restraint — often farms out spying activities too scandalous or illegal for the NSA to their eager British counterparts. There is, as the Snowden reporting demonstrated, virtually nothing too deceitful or invasive for the GCHQ. They spy on entire populations, deliberately disseminate fake news, exploit psychological research to control behavior and manipulate public perception, and destroy the reputations, including through the use of sex traps, of anyone deemed adversarial to the British government.
But they want you to know that they absolutely adore gay people. In fact, they love the cause of LGBT equality so very much that, beginning on May 17, 2015 — International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia — they started draping their creepy, UFO-style headquarters in the colors of the rainbow flag. The prior year, in 2014, they had merely raised the rainbow flag in front of their headquarters, but in 2015, they announced, “we wanted to make a bold statement to show the nation we serve how strongly we believe in this.” ….
Thanks Morrissey. Interesting and frightening post. Police in UK do same for LBGTs rights. The Autistism foundation has spoken up that they don’t get the same acknowledgment from the police, although they apparently fear badly when they come into contact with police.
on a different but related note, for those who are concerned about freedom of speech, I draw attention to Harry Miller, an ex cop in the UK who was engaging in a debate on-line about the proposed gender self I’d bill in 2019. He written some negative tweets about the issue including what I thought was a tasteless poem. Next thing the police turn up at his work and he goes on a register of hate events, that can be accessed by people such as prospective employers. He is told he has committed no crime, so his tweets although tasteless imho, not a crime. But he is sent a document from the police headed crime repot. He takes the police to the High Court and wins. The judge describes the polices actions as Orwellian. It’s a long clip, but I will try and post it.
A disturbingly similar case to the police harassment of Harry Miller for thought crime is this one from the U.S., pertaining to the Queen of Woke herself….
That statement was not set to be fully rolled out until 2024, but Housing Minister Megan Woods said a “short-term solution” was needed ahead of it being fully implemented.
And a succinct denunciation of that recent Nat announcement:
Woods also critiqued National’s new policy of offering councils $50,000 for every house built over their historical five-year average.
She said because the money would not be front-loaded councils would still have to borrow to build infrastructure, and many councils were at their debt-limit.
Her Government’s $3.8 billion to support housing infrastructure would be front-loaded, she said, and more details would be available on it soon.
Councils are at their debt limit as a matter of policy, indeed they cant work without it. Its because of the way they use ' depreciation of assets' to fund their every day activities. Pipes dont depreciate as fast as edifices in the accounting process so are last on the list.
Wellington is prime example of this , every grand design for the city is approved quickly and even rebuilds are as grand as possible and loaded with upgrades
So the latest covid case security guard at MIQ (case B) hasn't been tested since last November even though we were told there was two week testing for all MIQ workers. Turns out that is BS.
"We don't have a systematic way until next week of being able to write a query into the system to give us information," said Tremain.
There is the problem IMO. Currently the system is open to human error and employees lying. They should have had this in place already.
wow, the weakest link broke, and its all the fault of the weakest link.
Was this a casual employee or full time?
Was this someone who ran a regular shift at the plague hotel or was called in any few weeks every other month for a casual shift?
was the employee provided time on the clock to get tested or was that a voluntary thing?
was the employee provided with a location to get tested and was that done by the employer?
How was the goverment contract formulated in regards to testing of staff that mans the plague hotels?
What are the fines for an employer who does not make sure its staff gets tested?
nah, its all the fault of someone at bottom of the bucket below the ladder. Sounds a bit like with the student KFC worker who was blamed for a whole heep of mishaps that came way of communications from schools, health department and ministry.
But i guess its much easier to bash down then to admit that maybe the ball was dropped at ministerial level.
No sure why you continue to give the employers a free pass. They are no doubt collecting top taxpayer dollar for this work and were to meet certain obligations for the good of the nation. They didn't do it.
Last bloody August it was clear that the 'private security contractors model ' was not working and it was announced that these vital MIQ personnel would be employed directly by M(O)BIE.
The numpties running this pantomime are only just getting their collective arses into gear and advertising for these positions.
It is the Ministry's fault and it is the Government's fault this shit is still going on.
Agree, I do remember the announcement after that incident. Interesting it was not a Covid infection or risk of infection incident.
In your second link it says the government was aiming to reduce reliance on private contractors by bringing in defence force staff.
JA did say they were looking to employ security guards directly:
Where we are using security guards, we're looking to directly employ them by MBIE who will train and pay a living wage. This will raise accountability and give more central control over procedures.
I guess this either wasn't possible or the private sector protested, not being able to clip the wage ticket.
Still believe the contracting companies have a lot more to answer for than is being asked of them.
I guess this either wasn't possible or the private sector protested, not being able to clip the wage ticket.
I guess its because M(O)BIE, like the MOH, have become so dependent on private contractors over the decades that they are almost incapable of doing their work any other way.
I know that the Ministry of Health, back in the mid 1990's, handed over all aspects of Disability Support Services to the private sector. They did not want the disabled, they did not understand disability and they happily handed over all but 'policy work' to private contractors. When shit got real and disabled New Zealander's were abused and neglected to death by these private contractors the Misery of Health claimed distance from these atrocities…'our hands are clean we are merely the funders'.
Disabled people and their families have fought, gone to court, written submissions and letters and participated in surveys and discussions and conferences and conventions and begged and pleaded with various Ministers from governments of all hues to step up and fucking take back control from what has been for decades a rogue ministry that runs along the lines of a fiefdom.
From what I hear…M(O)BIE is very similar.
Nothing but a complete purge of all Ministerial staff with 'service' of more than 2 years will fix this. If they survive that long in that work environment they are just as bad as the rest.
While agreeing the whole dysfunctional system needs to scrapped and started again i can see no viable way of doing so WHILE maintaining some semblance of organisation so in effect 'they' have won…the state has been rendered incapable and therefore is unable to challenge the private profiteers.
But in winning they will lose….unfortunately theyre going to take everyone else down with them.
Yes, the reforms of the 80s and 90s are still held up as best practice in efficiency. Of course they are not more efficient (how can they be with more people clipping the ticket?), just less effective.
It's interesting that calls across the board now are toward greater centralisation and less dependence on the private sector who clearly can't and won't do the job properly because of the profit motive.
Even the right wing are demanding greater government involvement in all areas of society and economy.
Perhaps one of the legacies of this pandemic will be a reset of services toward to good of society rather than for the profit of a few.
No one is claiming historical perfection but there was a capacity and capability that no longer exists and that is not going to end well for anyone….and we were warned.
40 years (less than) was all it took……it will take a lot longer to restore, if ever.
Yes, i have a job offer, you take it and contract out for me to do it, however, i am still liable for the fuck ups that you do considering that I am the one who wrote the original contract – and should have included penalties for every single one of your potential fuckups, so that i can cover my ass and pretend to have thought about everything.
And this is not a stupid leaky building issue where everyone can get to go in liquidation so as to avoid liablity, this shit gets out the country goes down to 4 again on the noise of your phone and how good will that do us?
So just please keep that in mind with your Business as usual attitude of lets blame the person on the bottom, rather then the one who contracts a job out cause cheap labour is them, or the one who took the cheap contract and is now running the show with the expected lowest paid people they can find.
Read my comments. The one at the bottom is an idiot, clearly. But his employer is more at fault because they didn't ensure the contract was fulfilled, ie ensuring the testing order was carried out.
You are letting the private operator off the hook here. Please do better.
But the system (if there was one) should have picked up when he told his employer he was tested (or when he lied as stated by Jacinda), that he was not, because it was not showing in the database stating who has and who hasn't been vaccinated.
Currently the system seems to be voluntary testing by the employees.
That sort of system wasn't in place. What was in place was a requirement for employers to ensure the testing order was carried out. It was then left to the employer to work out haw to do that.
They didn't.
Now that it has transpired that some workers and their employers have been lying about testing I guess a new government compliance system will be in place at greater cost to the taxpayer and less cost to business.
Yes. That sort of system wasn't in place but should have been. You cant rely on people to "just do the right thing voluntarily". It would be like saying to people at the airport when they arrive from overseas, "please just stay home and quarantine for 14 days, we trust you to do that".
I would only be happy if the contractor be held liable if, because of non compliance, a super spreader is being let loose into the community causing health and economic damage. Anyone in this forum who has a legal background able to tell us whether this is possible?
Yeah – whatever. Everything humans do is a mess – especially at the margins. I can't get exercised over the minutiae of execution – other than hope that they find the issues fairly early and have a commitment to trying to fix them.
And I know that there would be no meaningful difference in operational competence between one government and any other – they are all working with the same system and the same constraints. To support the Nats because you have been sucked into the myth of their superior competence would be delusional.
Rather than competence, what matters in our political choices is the ideology and intent of a political party. It's clear from the "what about the economy?" noises that National were making early in the pandemic, that they would have taken us down something more like the path of far-right genocidal lunacy we have seen with the Tories in the UK – though probably not quite as awful.
It's clear from the "what about the economy?" noises that National were making early in the pandemic, that they would have taken us down something more like the path of far-right genocidal lunacy we have seen with the Tories in the UK
Two week testing was available for all MIQ workers, so no it is not BS, that is a fail from you. This worker chose to not get tested and lie to his employers and the employers were not checking obviously. Having said that I think the Government needs to get more heavy handed on people flouting the rules. How many people do you know who don't scan when entering premises. I suggest heaps, doesn't mean the system isn't there for their use.
Just how the security guard went five months without a test remains unclear. In Parliament on Wednesday Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the 24-year-old had "lied". His employer First Security said all its guards are "required to sign declarations that they are up-to-date with the COVID-19 testing requirements", but that it also has "current proof of up-to-date COVID-19 testing from all guards working at MIQ facilities".
Main said the employer's testing information didn't match what the Ministry of Health had, which is how they found out the worker hadn't been tested. She wasn't sure if the worker had provided actual proof of testing to his employer, or just lied about it.
"He was providing assurances. Each employer has a different way of keeping track of their employees' status – that's something they're required to do under the testing order, and each employer will do that differently."
From April 27, all border employers will be required to use a centralised register.
This was the system in place. By law employers are required to keep track of their employee's status under the testing order.
This seems reasonably sensible to me. To task employers with their own employees testing requirements rather than government having to deal with all 300 suppliers and their 4000 workers and test them all themselves. Again it looks like some employers and their employees got slack and cut corners.
The responsibility is now being taken away from them because, as usual, the private sector can't get anything important right. This at further cost to the taxpayer and greater profit to the private sector.
So basically the dude didn't just "lie", it's arguable that he committed fraud.
His employer First Security said all its guards are "required to sign declarations that they are up-to-date with the COVID-19 testing requirements", but that it also has "current proof of up-to-date COVID-19 testing from all guards working at MIQ facilities".
First Security have a pile of little chitties saying every one of their employees are up to date with tests. I hope FS have something more than that as their "current proof", because how many of those chits were robo-signed by staff who meant to get a test real soon, but never got around to it for five months?
So now everyone will need to get a receipt when they take the test, as the quickest bypass around privacy concerns and the practicalities of data matching.
Security is a pretty low wage job, mostly. Its ideal output is nothing, but if nothing happens, the clients get complacent and start cutting the budget until something happens.
This "all our people are regularly tested" is a tick-box requirement: cheapest way to tick it is to have a folder of staff declarations. In the service contract there'd be a clause of "all staff will be tested every x days", but no penalty. So as long as it's only one or two and the company can say it tried, the contract can't get turfed.
If it was more than a compliance formality (i.e. if an untested guard is discovered, that costs the security company a significant penalty fee) the company would coordinate the testing for each shift, at the workplace.
Funny story about that from another security company many years ago.
Guard got pinged for filing false checks on his route (lots of them run from site to site checking for break-ins and fires rather than being at one point all shift, company gets paid to check a building say 3 times a night) because apparently he "checked the building and found it fine" while fire service was still putting out a real fire. Turned out his super had also been doing days on the side gig and sleeping when he should have been checking up on whether the nightshift guards were doing their checks.
quis custodiet ipsos custodes ipsos custodes ad infinitum…
Now, if and I say if, a worker from First Security knowingly does not test and becomes a super spreader, can those who are unwittingly being infected sue the company for willful endangerment of health and/or life?
It would be interesting to know as I am sure that if the answer is yes, there will be an airtight system in place in ….hmmm lets say 10 minutes?
I'm not sure one can actually sue for criminal charges in NZ.
Maybe for damages if there was negligence.
But then who would one sue? A low wage employee? MIQ? The security company that assumed it could leave regular testing up to the employee to sort if not getting tested was gross misconduct?
Worse, part-way through her cross-examination, she is accused of making up the abuse.
Her ex-husband’s lawyer tells the judge Mrs P has “falsified evidence” on one of the ACC file notes attached to her affidavit. The altered document is a 20-hour report form, completed by a counsellor for the sensitive claims unit, on Mrs P’s first visit. The lawyer says she has managed to obtain the original version after gaining access to Mrs P’s entire confidential ACC file in preparation for the hearing.
Irrelevant information dragged before the court, and systemic abuse of this poor woman was the result. How does the court make up for that? Most people I know who have dealt with ACC “Sensitive” Claims have had to make statements of correction. That’s not a crime.
And it is not an infrequent occurrence although this story would seem an extreme example:
Psychopathic violent male abuses female and female is punished for… making up stories. Many of us have been down that road although not always a result of a domestic situation. It can be excessive abuse in the work-place or in a normal social setting. It never ceases to amaze me how often the perpetrators are believed over the victims by those who are supposed to be the experts/protectors/purveyors of justice.
A report by an economics consultancy firm [Infometrics] has found up to $24 billion worth of untapped global demand for New Zealand products…
He said the report highlighted the potential demand for main exports, but did not consider whether producers could meet that demand, and what capacity constraints may be in the way.
Interesting – looking at increasing the wine market? That needs water and if looking at Nelson, Tasman, who knows whether they will have enough for themselves without feeding another hungry water sponge of win similar to dairy. There is a dam in Tasman being built which I hope is not going to be siphoned away to dairy and will provide surety of supply for people as far away as Richmond. The horticulture people actually need it muchly to maintain a diversified growing area. Wine should not be trying for much expansion to avoid being over-exposed to one industry. The dam appears to have rotten rock underneath, which I think they were warned about, and is requiring more work, and top-ups and government has said no more. It may be that it has to be scaled back for safety – intelligent geological reasons.
Yet this report says that markets in traditional areas of wine supply are not 'saturated'. It sounds as if the report and thinking is based on growth before all other considerations. And of course it has to be transported there, though wine would be fine by sea as I suppose it travels now?
I suggest that this potential export figure is a bit over-egged, a pie in the sky one, and we need to work hard to keep up what we have, and work on a managed rise coming from new customers, and present products at a steady pace. Sending ice cream must be a no-no long term. Exporting the ingredients and making it in the target country like Indonesia with local labour and NZ hygiene would I think endear us to those customers.
As for logs, to avoid us having to compete against export prices for our own product, government is going to have to pull finger and buy back some land or young plantations at the appropriate market price for young trees. Of course we do need politicians who have some idea of how to manage the country, and avoid the two-tier inflation we already notice on wood for our houses, and on built houses.
The report mentions Australia suffering a setback on exports through its accord with China having been damaged. They will be looking for outlets and competing, possibly undercutting us, to get them. It is wise to not rely on trade with Australia, and not to set up a joint promotion or trading bloc with them to trade with other countries, as they will always renege from agreements when there are problems, and seek to get the best deal for themselves.
Anyone who is interested in our country's enterprises and exports is welcome to criticise. But I have been watching for decades and I think I have a reasonably good overview – short on details and expertise with stats and graphs though!
It seems an ugly lump of concrete passage on what had been a green park. And apparently it had to be in Auckland because most of the Erebus passengers had come from Auckland. They wanted to go as far as the Antarctic, so were prepared to travel that far themselves. Why not have it in Wellington in Parliament grounds, right by the people who were the type to bring the disaster about?
Why not have it in Wellington in Parliament grounds, right by the people who were the type to bring the disaster about?
There was only one entity to blame and that was Air NZ. Poor procedures on the part of the back-up staff caused the tragedy. Nothing to do with the pollies although Muldoon was instrumental in enabling the truth to be covered up in order to save the Airline's reputation. All of it done at the expense of the dead cockpit crew who had been given the wrong co-ordinates.
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The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
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Big Corporations Now Deploying Woke Ideology the Way Intelligence Agencies Do: As a Disguise
by GLENN GREENWALD, 14 April 2021
The British spy agency GCHQ is so aggressive, extreme and unconstrained by law or ethics that the NSA — not exactly world renowned for its restraint — often farms out spying activities too scandalous or illegal for the NSA to their eager British counterparts. There is, as the Snowden reporting demonstrated, virtually nothing too deceitful or invasive for the GCHQ. They spy on entire populations, deliberately disseminate fake news, exploit psychological research to control behavior and manipulate public perception, and destroy the reputations, including through the use of sex traps, of anyone deemed adversarial to the British government.
But they want you to know that they absolutely adore gay people. In fact, they love the cause of LGBT equality so very much that, beginning on May 17, 2015 — International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia — they started draping their creepy, UFO-style headquarters in the colors of the rainbow flag. The prior year, in 2014, they had merely raised the rainbow flag in front of their headquarters, but in 2015, they announced, “we wanted to make a bold statement to show the nation we serve how strongly we believe in this.” ….
Read more…
https://greenwald.substack.com/p/big-corporations-now-deploying-woke
A disturbingly similar case to the police harassment of Harry Miller for thought crime is this one from the U.S., pertaining to the Queen of Woke herself….
https://thegrayzone.com/2021/04/09/anti-war-activist-police-aoc-video/
To compound this horror/comedy, the former director of GCHQ has been longlisted for the ….. (wait for it!)…. Orwell Prize…
https://twitter.com/pmillerinfo/status/1380627629582249987
Harry Miller link as quoted in my above comment
Govt speeding up regulatory change to get more homes consented. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300277195/housing-government-looking-to-fasttrack-moves-to-force-councils-to-allow-more-housing
And a succinct denunciation of that recent Nat announcement:
Councils are at their debt limit as a matter of policy, indeed they cant work without it. Its because of the way they use ' depreciation of assets' to fund their every day activities. Pipes dont depreciate as fast as edifices in the accounting process so are last on the list.
Wellington is prime example of this , every grand design for the city is approved quickly and even rebuilds are as grand as possible and loaded with upgrades
So the latest covid case security guard at MIQ (case B) hasn't been tested since last November even though we were told there was two week testing for all MIQ workers. Turns out that is BS.
"We don't have a systematic way until next week of being able to write a query into the system to give us information," said Tremain.
There is the problem IMO. Currently the system is open to human error and employees lying. They should have had this in place already.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/04/covid-19-officials-still-investigating-why-security-guard-wasn-t-tested-as-jacinda-ardern-jumps-the-gun.html
wow, the weakest link broke, and its all the fault of the weakest link.
Was this a casual employee or full time?
Was this someone who ran a regular shift at the plague hotel or was called in any few weeks every other month for a casual shift?
was the employee provided time on the clock to get tested or was that a voluntary thing?
was the employee provided with a location to get tested and was that done by the employer?
How was the goverment contract formulated in regards to testing of staff that mans the plague hotels?
What are the fines for an employer who does not make sure its staff gets tested?
nah, its all the fault of someone at bottom of the bucket below the ladder. Sounds a bit like with the student KFC worker who was blamed for a whole heep of mishaps that came way of communications from schools, health department and ministry.
But i guess its much easier to bash down then to admit that maybe the ball was dropped at ministerial level.
We don't know how lucky we are……….
No sure why you continue to give the employers a free pass. They are no doubt collecting top taxpayer dollar for this work and were to meet certain obligations for the good of the nation. They didn't do it.
No sure why you continue to give the employers a free pass. And I assume you mean 'Why are you blaming the Govt and the Ministry?'
Bugger me fucking sideways….
After a privacy breach incident in August, the number of Defence Force staff at the hotels was boosted, and the government said remaining security guards would be employed directly by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in future.
Last bloody August it was clear that the 'private security contractors model ' was not working and it was announced that these vital MIQ personnel would be employed directly by M(O)BIE.
The numpties running this pantomime are only just getting their collective arses into gear and advertising for these positions.
It is the Ministry's fault and it is the Government's fault this shit is still going on.
This is like groundhog day.
Agree, I do remember the announcement after that incident. Interesting it was not a Covid infection or risk of infection incident.
In your second link it says the government was aiming to reduce reliance on private contractors by bringing in defence force staff.
JA did say they were looking to employ security guards directly:
I guess this either wasn't possible or the private sector protested, not being able to clip the wage ticket.
Still believe the contracting companies have a lot more to answer for than is being asked of them.
I guess this either wasn't possible or the private sector protested, not being able to clip the wage ticket.
I guess its because M(O)BIE, like the MOH, have become so dependent on private contractors over the decades that they are almost incapable of doing their work any other way.
I know that the Ministry of Health, back in the mid 1990's, handed over all aspects of Disability Support Services to the private sector. They did not want the disabled, they did not understand disability and they happily handed over all but 'policy work' to private contractors. When shit got real and disabled New Zealander's were abused and neglected to death by these private contractors the Misery of Health claimed distance from these atrocities…'our hands are clean we are merely the funders'.
Disabled people and their families have fought, gone to court, written submissions and letters and participated in surveys and discussions and conferences and conventions and begged and pleaded with various Ministers from governments of all hues to step up and fucking take back control from what has been for decades a rogue ministry that runs along the lines of a fiefdom.
From what I hear…M(O)BIE is very similar.
Nothing but a complete purge of all Ministerial staff with 'service' of more than 2 years will fix this. If they survive that long in that work environment they are just as bad as the rest.
While agreeing the whole dysfunctional system needs to scrapped and started again i can see no viable way of doing so WHILE maintaining some semblance of organisation so in effect 'they' have won…the state has been rendered incapable and therefore is unable to challenge the private profiteers.
But in winning they will lose….unfortunately theyre going to take everyone else down with them.
Yes, the reforms of the 80s and 90s are still held up as best practice in efficiency. Of course they are not more efficient (how can they be with more people clipping the ticket?), just less effective.
It's interesting that calls across the board now are toward greater centralisation and less dependence on the private sector who clearly can't and won't do the job properly because of the profit motive.
Even the right wing are demanding greater government involvement in all areas of society and economy.
Perhaps one of the legacies of this pandemic will be a reset of services toward to good of society rather than for the profit of a few.
Its a bit of myopic view about 'the good old days' when every , literally was run in house.
Never heard of Lake Alice or the myriad of dysfunctional people over the years working for the 'ministry or the board'?
No one is claiming historical perfection but there was a capacity and capability that no longer exists and that is not going to end well for anyone….and we were warned.
40 years (less than) was all it took……it will take a lot longer to restore, if ever.
That shouldn't stop us from making a start.
All orderlies, security, laundry and nurse aid employed by the DHB.
Any Government department that spends over a certain % on a particular contracted employee must bring them 'in-house'.
As I have said before, there are folk out there with letters after their name who are better equipped than me to do this
You do realise that the Government is the ultimative employer of the contractors that run the security guards?
you do realise that? Do you?
Thanks.
And again, we don't know how lucky we are.
What part of contracting do you not understand?
Yes, i have a job offer, you take it and contract out for me to do it, however, i am still liable for the fuck ups that you do considering that I am the one who wrote the original contract – and should have included penalties for every single one of your potential fuckups, so that i can cover my ass and pretend to have thought about everything.
And this is not a stupid leaky building issue where everyone can get to go in liquidation so as to avoid liablity, this shit gets out the country goes down to 4 again on the noise of your phone and how good will that do us?
So just please keep that in mind with your Business as usual attitude of lets blame the person on the bottom, rather then the one who contracts a job out cause cheap labour is them, or the one who took the cheap contract and is now running the show with the expected lowest paid people they can find.
Read my comments. The one at the bottom is an idiot, clearly. But his employer is more at fault because they didn't ensure the contract was fulfilled, ie ensuring the testing order was carried out.
You are letting the private operator off the hook here. Please do better.
But the system (if there was one) should have picked up when he told his employer he was tested (or when he lied as stated by Jacinda), that he was not, because it was not showing in the database stating who has and who hasn't been vaccinated.
Currently the system seems to be voluntary testing by the employees.
One would expect the contractor to be liable, regardless of the reason (or excuse) for non-performance.
A case for the quarantine costs of the affected workers would be letting them off lightly.
That sort of system wasn't in place. What was in place was a requirement for employers to ensure the testing order was carried out. It was then left to the employer to work out haw to do that.
They didn't.
Now that it has transpired that some workers and their employers have been lying about testing I guess a new government compliance system will be in place at greater cost to the taxpayer and less cost to business.
Happy now?
Yes. That sort of system wasn't in place but should have been. You cant rely on people to "just do the right thing voluntarily". It would be like saying to people at the airport when they arrive from overseas, "please just stay home and quarantine for 14 days, we trust you to do that".
I would only be happy if the contractor be held liable if, because of non compliance, a super spreader is being let loose into the community causing health and economic damage. Anyone in this forum who has a legal background able to tell us whether this is possible?
"Currently the system is open to human error…"
Yeah – whatever. Everything humans do is a mess – especially at the margins. I can't get exercised over the minutiae of execution – other than hope that they find the issues fairly early and have a commitment to trying to fix them.
And I know that there would be no meaningful difference in operational competence between one government and any other – they are all working with the same system and the same constraints. To support the Nats because you have been sucked into the myth of their superior competence would be delusional.
Rather than competence, what matters in our political choices is the ideology and intent of a political party. It's clear from the "what about the economy?" noises that National were making early in the pandemic, that they would have taken us down something more like the path of far-right genocidal lunacy we have seen with the Tories in the UK – though probably not quite as awful.
Two week testing was available for all MIQ workers, so no it is not BS, that is a fail from you. This worker chose to not get tested and lie to his employers and the employers were not checking obviously. Having said that I think the Government needs to get more heavy handed on people flouting the rules. How many people do you know who don't scan when entering premises. I suggest heaps, doesn't mean the system isn't there for their use.
This was the system in place. By law employers are required to keep track of their employee's status under the testing order.
This seems reasonably sensible to me. To task employers with their own employees testing requirements rather than government having to deal with all 300 suppliers and their 4000 workers and test them all themselves. Again it looks like some employers and their employees got slack and cut corners.
The responsibility is now being taken away from them because, as usual, the private sector can't get anything important right. This at further cost to the taxpayer and greater profit to the private sector.
As it ever was.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/04/coronavirus-miq-boss-reveals-exact-number-of-border-workers-who-might-never-have-been-tested-for-covid-19.html
So basically the dude didn't just "lie", it's arguable that he committed fraud.
First Security have a pile of little chitties saying every one of their employees are up to date with tests. I hope FS have something more than that as their "current proof", because how many of those chits were robo-signed by staff who meant to get a test real soon, but never got around to it for five months?
So now everyone will need to get a receipt when they take the test, as the quickest bypass around privacy concerns and the practicalities of data matching.
Ironic, isn't it? The more I look at that, the more it makes me laugh…
Security is a pretty low wage job, mostly. Its ideal output is nothing, but if nothing happens, the clients get complacent and start cutting the budget until something happens.
This "all our people are regularly tested" is a tick-box requirement: cheapest way to tick it is to have a folder of staff declarations. In the service contract there'd be a clause of "all staff will be tested every x days", but no penalty. So as long as it's only one or two and the company can say it tried, the contract can't get turfed.
If it was more than a compliance formality (i.e. if an untested guard is discovered, that costs the security company a significant penalty fee) the company would coordinate the testing for each shift, at the workplace.
I wonder if First Security pay the hours the worker says they worked without any check?
Funny story about that from another security company many years ago.
Guard got pinged for filing false checks on his route (lots of them run from site to site checking for break-ins and fires rather than being at one point all shift, company gets paid to check a building say 3 times a night) because apparently he "checked the building and found it fine" while fire service was still putting out a real fire. Turned out his super had also been doing days on the side gig and sleeping when he should have been checking up on whether the nightshift guards were doing their checks.
quis custodiet ipsos custodes ipsos custodes ad infinitum…
Now, if and I say if, a worker from First Security knowingly does not test and becomes a super spreader, can those who are unwittingly being infected sue the company for willful endangerment of health and/or life?
It would be interesting to know as I am sure that if the answer is yes, there will be an airtight system in place in ….hmmm lets say 10 minutes?
I'm not sure one can actually sue for criminal charges in NZ.
Maybe for damages if there was negligence.
But then who would one sue? A low wage employee? MIQ? The security company that assumed it could leave regular testing up to the employee to sort if not getting tested was gross misconduct?
Yet another example of where Australia's managed to evolve to:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/300277901/twerking-dancers-at-australian-military-event-labelled-an-absolute-shocker
lols
Boaty McBoatface commissioned by Butty McButtcheeks in front of Poey McPoeface.
Another one to watch from Australia.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-post-ceo-christine-holgate-bullied-out-of-job-scott-morrison/c1c5e4d8-bb32-42b3-90b5-ef141039d7b7
It reminds me of the Julia Gillard story when she was PM. I think Australian politics might be toxic for females; too many poisonous snakes I think.
The way this woman has been treated is shocking, but more importantly, and not for the first time, it shows the family court system needs changing.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300277390/the-court-said-she-was-lying-about-being-abused-she-did-a-year-on-home-detention-she-wasnt-lying
Irrelevant information dragged before the court, and systemic abuse of this poor woman was the result. How does the court make up for that? Most people I know who have dealt with ACC “Sensitive” Claims have had to make statements of correction. That’s not a crime.
I'm with you on this one KSaysHi.
And it is not an infrequent occurrence although this story would seem an extreme example:
Psychopathic violent male abuses female and female is punished for… making up stories. Many of us have been down that road although not always a result of a domestic situation. It can be excessive abuse in the work-place or in a normal social setting. It never ceases to amaze me how often the perpetrators are believed over the victims by those who are supposed to be the experts/protectors/purveyors of justice.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/440501/exporters-missing-out-on-up-to-24-billion-of-untapped-global-demand-report
A report by an economics consultancy firm [Infometrics] has found up to $24 billion worth of untapped global demand for New Zealand products…
He said the report highlighted the potential demand for main exports, but did not consider whether producers could meet that demand, and what capacity constraints may be in the way.
Interesting – looking at increasing the wine market? That needs water and if looking at Nelson, Tasman, who knows whether they will have enough for themselves without feeding another hungry water sponge of win similar to dairy. There is a dam in Tasman being built which I hope is not going to be siphoned away to dairy and will provide surety of supply for people as far away as Richmond. The horticulture people actually need it muchly to maintain a diversified growing area. Wine should not be trying for much expansion to avoid being over-exposed to one industry. The dam appears to have rotten rock underneath, which I think they were warned about, and is requiring more work, and top-ups and government has said no more. It may be that it has to be scaled back for safety – intelligent geological reasons.
Yet this report says that markets in traditional areas of wine supply are not 'saturated'. It sounds as if the report and thinking is based on growth before all other considerations. And of course it has to be transported there, though wine would be fine by sea as I suppose it travels now?
I suggest that this potential export figure is a bit over-egged, a pie in the sky one, and we need to work hard to keep up what we have, and work on a managed rise coming from new customers, and present products at a steady pace. Sending ice cream must be a no-no long term. Exporting the ingredients and making it in the target country like Indonesia with local labour and NZ hygiene would I think endear us to those customers.
As for logs, to avoid us having to compete against export prices for our own product, government is going to have to pull finger and buy back some land or young plantations at the appropriate market price for young trees. Of course we do need politicians who have some idea of how to manage the country, and avoid the two-tier inflation we already notice on wood for our houses, and on built houses.
The report mentions Australia suffering a setback on exports through its accord with China having been damaged. They will be looking for outlets and competing, possibly undercutting us, to get them. It is wise to not rely on trade with Australia, and not to set up a joint promotion or trading bloc with them to trade with other countries, as they will always renege from agreements when there are problems, and seek to get the best deal for themselves.
Anyone who is interested in our country's enterprises and exports is welcome to criticise. But I have been watching for decades and I think I have a reasonably good overview – short on details and expertise with stats and graphs though!
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2104/S00055/on-the-erebus-memorial-in-parnell.htm
It seems an ugly lump of concrete passage on what had been a green park. And apparently it had to be in Auckland because most of the Erebus passengers had come from Auckland. They wanted to go as far as the Antarctic, so were prepared to travel that far themselves. Why not have it in Wellington in Parliament grounds, right by the people who were the type to bring the disaster about?
There was only one entity to blame and that was Air NZ. Poor procedures on the part of the back-up staff caused the tragedy. Nothing to do with the pollies although Muldoon was instrumental in enabling the truth to be covered up in order to save the Airline's reputation. All of it done at the expense of the dead cockpit crew who had been given the wrong co-ordinates.
Literal to a point Anne. I said the type that would have been the cause – if not pollies then up on The Terrace, just behind the beehive.